


First Lesson

by HQuinn



Series: Warden Arianna [15]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-18
Updated: 2015-10-18
Packaged: 2018-04-26 21:53:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5021869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HQuinn/pseuds/HQuinn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is in the universe of my Warden Arianna stories.</p><p>Anders spends time alone with his son, including his son's first magic lesson.</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Lesson

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't read any of my other stories, here's the run down:
> 
> Anders is married to Warden Cousland (Ari). Karl and Solona are their kids.
> 
> Eleanor is Ari's daughter with Zevran.

"Come on, Karl. Let's go see if we can catch some fish for dinner."

 

"Boys only?" Karl asked looking up to his father.

 

"Boys only." Anders winked at his son.

 

Karl happily followed his father out the door. With two sisters there was always girls around, but his dad always made a point of finding something to do just the two of them. Even though he would never admit it, he did like his sisters, _sometimes_. And he maybe missed Eleanor now that she was married and moved far away. But he loved the times that were just him and his dad. His dad was more fun then most of his friends' dads, and not just because he could set things on fire, although that was pretty neat too. His dad knew all the funniest jokes, and when they'd walk around town in Denerim, there would always be someone coming up to thank his dad for helping deliver a baby, or fixing a broken arm or something else. He thought it was really amazing that more people wanted to thank his dad then they did the King. 

 

He sat down near the stream, his dad helping set up his fishing pole before sitting next to him.

 

"Da?" Karl asked, watching his father.

 

"Yeeeesss?" his dad asked in a funny voice, making Karl laugh.

 

"How come you and Ma don't have a ma and da? All my other friends have granddas and grandmas." 

 

"Well, you Ma lost hers long ago. They died before the blight, so he just has your Uncle Fergus now. I bet if you asked her about them she'd be very happy to tell you what they were like. I know she loved them very much." he nodded. "And as for me, well..." he sighed. Anders knew sooner or later there would be questions about his childhood, and he struggled with what to tell his children when they asked and what to leave out. "Karl, sometimes kids don't get very nice parents. Sometimes, no matter how good the kid is, they have very mean parents. My parents were not nice, not like your Ma's. So we don't know where they are, and I don't want to know, because I wouldn't want them to ever do anything to hurt you or your sisters."

 

Anders quieted, hoping that would be enough of an answer for his son. He watched the boy out of the corner of his eye, seeing him process all that he had just heard and waited.

 

"Da", he finally said, looking thoughtful. "I'm glad your my Da. You're not mean, even when I'm in trouble. And I like all your jokes, even though Ma rolls her eyes."

 

Anders beamed at his son, pulling him in for a hug. "Thanks Karl. That's really nice for you to say. You're a pretty good kid too." he ruffled his son's head, feeling a sense of relief fill him. He'd been so worried that his recent problems were affecting his children. Hearing instead what Karl had said, that he was a good dad after all, he could fill his heart swell.

 

"Can I ask you something?" Karl asked, looking back to the water.

 

"You can always ask me anything you want." Anders said, laughing inside remembering how much Eleanor used to talk when she was little, and starting to think some of that may have rubbed off on Karl.

 

"Ma was crying last week. I mean she was making lunch and singing, but I could see she had tears on her face. Is she ok?" he still didn't look at his father. He was worried that it was something really bad that was making her cry.

 

"It's really nice that you are worried about your Ma. She's find, son. Last week was a special day for her, and I think it made her miss your sister even more. Sometimes when we're missing someone, we cry, and it's ok." Anders looked at his son, proud to see the compassionate boy he was becoming.

 

"But it wasn't her birthday. What was the special day? Why don't we have a cake to celebrate?" he asked, turning back to his father again, relieved that it wasn't bad news.

 

"It's not that kind of special day." Anders explained, pulling his son into his lap. "Last Tuesday was the anniversary of when your Ma married Eleanor's dad. Do you remember when we talked about him?" Karl nodded. "He was very special to your Ma, he was a good man, and a good dad to Eleanor. She was just missing him is all."

 

Karl looked to the ground. "Can I help her? Like you help people?" he didn't want to look at his father again, afraid his dad would tell him he was too little to do anything.

 

"Absolutely," Anders hugged him again. "Next time you see your Ma looking sad, go up to her and give her your biggest hug ever and tell her you love her. I promise you, that will make her feel better."

 

Karl lit up. He hadn't expected his dad to tell him he could help, knowing he could made him happy. He could help, just like his dad helped people.

 

"When will you start teaching me magic?" he asked. Anders chuckled at the abrupt change in topic.

 

"How about now?"

 

Karl looked up excited, "Really? Can you teach me fire?"

 

Anders chuckled again, "Maybe when you're a little older and not so likely to set Solona on fire because she annoyed you. Let's start with something a little safer. How about I show you something you can do to make your Ma smile?"

 

Karl was dissapointed he wouldn't be learning fire, but that was overrun by the excitement that his dad was finally going to teach him some magic.

 

Anders moved his son so that he sat on the ground facing him, the boy's hands in his. "Before we start, it's very important that you understand that you should always use your magic to help people or to protect them. You should never use it for personal gain, or to hurt someone unless it's to protect someone else, ok?"

 

Karl nodded. "Will I be a healer like you?"

 

"That'll be up to you. When you get older, the Acadamy will let you choose what type of magic you want to learn. For now, they'll just teach you the basics." Anders explained, grateful once again that his son would never know a Circle, would never be taken away for his gifts.

 

"I want to be a healer. Then I can work with you in your clinic." Karl said matter of factly.

 

Anders smiled at his son. "I'd really like that. If that's what you decide what you want to do when you're older, I would be happy to have you at the clinic with me. Ok, ready to learn something?"

 

Karl nodded,  _finally_ he thought.

 

"Ok, just feel what I'm doing. You'll feel a little tingle through your whole body, just concentrate, trying to push it out through your finger tips, and think of a ball of light.", Karl watched as his dad's fingers started to glow, passing through his own as a ball of light started floating in the air in front of them. Karl grinned watching the ball hover in the air.

 

"You're turn, are you ready?" Karl nodded in response.

 

Anders talked him through it slowly. At first nothing happened, and Karl looked frustrated, but Anders reminded him to relax, and slowly the boy's fingers began to glow a light green glow. Anders talked the boy softly through it, and after a few failed attempts a small ball of light appeared, not quite as big or as bright as the one Anders had produced, but one just the same.

 

They continued to practice it a few more times, until Karl was able to do it every time without fail.

 

"Good, keep practicing that, but only when I'm there in case there's a problem, ok? When you get a little older you can practice on your own, but not yet, so you don't get hurt, I have to be there." Anders spoke in calm but stern voice so that Karl understood the importance.

 

Karl nodded and then jumped into Anders lap, throwing his arms around his neck. "I did it Da! I can do magic like you!" Anders hugged his son back and laughed, finding the excitement of his son healing his own pain that he'd been feeling ever since Ari had rescued him.

 


End file.
